Democratic Consolidation in Turkey
While Turkey made major strides in democratic reforms in the late 1990s and early 2000s, progress has, in many ways, stalled. Turkey remains democratic in the sense that attaining political power depends upon winning votes, but in recent years its leadership has taken a majoritarian view of democracy and the country has faced problems on issues such as rule of law, freedom of speech, and increased polarization.
This book explores the understanding and practice of democracy in Turkey since the early 2000s, analyzing its evolution in light of the parliamentary elections held in 2015. Adopting a more holistic approach in line with the writing of Wolfgang Merkel, it recognizes that a successful, consolidated democracy has various micro- and macro-level foundations. The former includes factors such as political values, tolerance, identity, and civil society, while the latter includes political economy, party competition, and institutional development. This volume rejects purely descriptive assessments and instead employs theoretical perspectives to analyze a dynamic political environment. It brings together a range of noted specialists on Turkish politics and society, who employ different methodological approaches and frameworks to offer a distinct scholarly work on democratization in Turkey.
A thorough analysis of the problems of democratic consolidation, alongside an awareness of the theoretical and methodological debates in the discipline, make this book essential reading for students, scholars, and policymakers interested in Turkish politics, as well as democratization and democratic transitions more generally.
Cengiz Erien is Associate Professor of Political Science at TOBB University of Economics and Technology. He has published work on comparative political behavior, political psychology, and Turkish politics.
Paul Kubicek is Professor of Political Science and Director of International Studies at Oakland University. He has written extensively on democratization in Eurasia and in Turkey, and is the editor of Turkish Studies.
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65 The Circassian Diaspora in Turkey
Zeynel Abidin Besleney
66 Multiculturalism and Democracy in North Africa
Edited by Moha Ennaji
67 Strategic Relations Between the US and Turkey, 19792000
Ekavi Athanassopoulou
68 Ethnicity and Elections in Turkey
Gl Arkan Akda
69 The Kurdish Liberation Movement in Iraq
Yaniv Voller
70 Arab Regionalism
Silvia Ferabolli
71 The Kurdish Issue in Turkey
Edited by Zeynep Gambetti and Joost Jongerden
72 The Turkish Deep State
Mehtap Syler
73 Koreans in the Persian Gulf
Shirzad Azad
74 The Europeanization of Turkey
Ali Tekin and Aylin Gney
75 Turkeys Kurdish Question
H. Akin Unver
76 The Israeli Conflict System
Harvey Starr and Stanley Dubinsky
77 Political Violence and Kurds in Turkey
Mehmet Orhan
78 The Europeanization of Turkish Public Policies
Ali Tekin and Aylin Gney
79 Diasporic Activism in the IsraeliPalestinian Conflict
Svenja Gertheiss
80 Israels Military Operations in Gaza
Marouf Hasian, Jr.
81 The Turkish AK Party and its Leader
Edited by mit Cizre and Burhanettin Duran
82 Democratic Consolidation in Turkey
Edited by Cengiz Erien and Paul Kubicek
First published 2016
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ISBN: 978-1-138-91495-7 (hbk)
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Contents
CENGIZ ERIEN AND PAUL KUBICEK
IROL YEILADA AND PETER NOORDIJK
CENGIZ ERIEN
YKSEL ALPER ECEVIT
AKAN SAYIN AND EMRE TOROS
PAUL KUBICEK
ERGUN ZBUDUN
SABRI SAYARI
ALI BURAK GVEN
PAUL KUBICEK AND CENGIZ ERIEN
Yksel Alper Ecevit is Assistant Professor of Comparative Politics and Democratization at Baheehir University. He earned his PhD degree in 2013 at Binghamton University Political Science Department. His research focuses on the topics of political institutions, political behavior, and suffrage expansions. His most recent work has appeared in the International Political Science Review . He has forthcoming publications on political parties and democratization.
Cengiz Erien is Associate Professor of Political Science at TOBB University of Economics and Technology. He received his PhD from Stony Brook University in 2009. He has published extensively on comparative political behavior, political psychology, and Turkish politics. His work has appeared in the Journal of Common Market Studies , Political Psychology, Political Research Quarterly , Southeast Europe and Black Sea Studies , and Turkish Politics . His forthcoming book is Political Behaviour and the Emotional Citizen: Participation and Reaction in Turkey (Palgrave).
Ali Burak Gven is Lecturer in International Relations and International Political Economy in the Department of Politics at Birkbeck, University of London. His work on comparative and international political economy, international organizations and global governance, and Turkish political economy appeared in journals such as Development and Change , Development Policy Review , Global Governance , New Political Economy , and Studies in Comparative International Development . Dr. Gven is also co-editor, with Richard Sandbrook, of Civilizing Globalization: A Survival Guide, Revised and Expanded Edition (SUNY, 2015).
Paul Kubicek is Professor of Political Science and Director of International Studies at Oakland University in Rochester Michigan. He has published extensively on the European Union, post-communist politics, and Turkish politics. His work on Turkey has appeared in Political Studies , Democratization , and World Affairs . His most recent book is Political Islam and Democracy in the Muslim World (Lynne Rienner, 2015). He is editor of Turkish Studies .
Peter Noordijk is a Research Associate at the Center for Turkish Studies at Portland State University. He has co-authored several articles and book chapters in the fields of international relations and public administration. His doctoral dissertation focused on the interaction of social intolerance in the European Union and social capital, political capacity, and identity. He is also a research analyst with the State of Oregon.
